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LA fire survivors say Newsom is trying to help Remediation work continues following East Los Angeles oil spill utilities reduce their wildfire costs again By Staff By Levi Sumagaysay CalMatters This story was originally published by CalMatters.
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f you live in California, chances are you’ve seen the ads that say “Home insurance rates skyrocket” and “The FAIR Plan is broken.” They urge you to contact your state representative to ask them to “fix our wildfire problem to make California more affordable.” Those ads are connected to what Los Angeles fire survivors, consumer advocacy groups and the insurance industry say is a secretive, last-minute attempt by Gov. Gavin Newsom to help utilities reduce how much they pay for wildfires they cause. With the legislative session set to resume next week and run through the end of the month, the governor’s staff has been talking with state lawmakers about addressing challenges around wildfire recovery and rising catastrophic risk in California, a spokesperson for his office confirmed. Lawmakers have not released the text of the proposals. Newsom spokesperson Anthony Martinez would not say whether the legislation will do the following, as alleged by fire survivors and a consumer advocacy group: - Limit compensation for fire victims’ pain and suffering. - Eliminate insurance companies’ right to recover wildfire costs from utilities or other corporations. - Cap attorneys’ fees, making it harder for fire survivors to get representation. Every Fire Survivor’s Network, a group started by survivors of last year’s Eaton Fire, and Consumer Watchdog, a consumer advocacy group that focuses on insurance and other issues, say the bills
Members of the Oiled Wildlife Care Network wash oil off of a Joy Chen, executive director of Every Fire Survivor’s Network, announces the organization has joined a national advocacy coalition with Public Citizen, the NAACP and the National Day Laborer Organizing Network. | Photo courtesy of everyfiresurvivorsnetwork/Instagram
would shift recovery costs from utility companies to insurance policyholders. Insurance industry representatives agree. The strange bedfellows are calling out the late political maneuvering known as “gut-and-amend,” which lawmakers use to create bills by gutting other pending bills and replacing their language for a different purpose and are meant to be fast-tracked. The groups are speaking out against the purported bill package, which appears to align with the goals of Wildfire Victims First, a campaign funded by utilities that, despite its name, has no wildfire survivors groups among its supporters. “Californians deserve a government that works in the open, not behind closed doors,” said Joy Chen, leader of the Every Fire Survivor’s
Network, in a press conference last week. She urged the governor to “choose democracy over corporate special interests.” In an open letter to the governor, Chen laid out how she said Newsom has, over the years, already helped utilities shift responsibility for wildfires they cause. The state’s three major utilities, San Diego Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison and Pacific Gas & Electric, have tremendous influence in California. They have what seems to be an unlimited number of names, entities and affiliates; donate to campaigns by Democrats and Republicans; and together employ hundreds of lobbyists who advocate for hundreds of bills every session. In the See Wildfire costs Page 02
2025-26 session, their donations to sitting legislators totaled more than $1.2 million, according to CalMatters’ Digital Democracy Database. Martinez said the discussions between the governor’s office and California lawmakers are informed by a report released in April by the California Earthquake Authority, which under Senate Bill 254 was tasked with studying how the state should “responsibly and equitably allocate the burdens from natural catastrophes.” That bill — rewritten so late last year that it required the Legislature to extend its session — also allows utilities to shift additional wildfire costs to consumers if their costs exceed
bird. | Photo courtesy of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums
T
he Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors OK’d a motion Tuesday directing staff to continue community outreach and provide updates on cleanup work, environmental testing and available resources related to the East LA oil spill two months ago. The board also directed the county’s oil spill recovery website to remain available as a central source of information as the cleanup effort continues. “Today’s motion reflects my continued commitment to ensuring residents have access to answers, transparency and the support they need, while making clear that their concerns will not be forgotten,” according to a statement by Supervisor Hilda Solis, who represents cities and unincorporated areas in East Los Angeles. See Oil spill Page 27
With the emergency response now concluded and “as cleanup and remediation move forward, I remain focused on protecting public health, supporting residents and small businesses, and ensuring accountability for those responsible,” Solis said. At the Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday, she convened county departments to provide an update on the status of environmental testing, cleanup work, public health impacts, community outreach and accountability for the parties responsible for the spill. A broken pipe released an estimated 25,000 gallons of crude oil from an underground pipeline, according to the county. On May 22, a pipeline ruptured near Eastern